The Best Cure for Brain Injury is Prevention

Michael V. Kaplen, Esq. chairing working session, New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council

At the New York based brain injury law firm® of De Caro & Kaplen, LLP, we believe that the best cure for a brain injury is prevention.  Traumatic brain injuries are not genetic or contagious, but are preventable.  Even mild head injury can cause serious and life long term brain damage.  The best way to protect yourself and your family from brain injuries is to prevent them from happening in the first place.

Here are some tips to from the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Brain Injury Association of America to reduce the chances that you or your family member will sustain a traumatic brain or traumatic head injury.

• Wear a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle
• Always buckle your child into a child safety seat, booster seat or seat belt

Wear a helmet and make sure your child wear helmets when:

• Riding a bicycle, motorcycle, snowmobile or all terrain vehicle
• Playing a contact sport such as football, ice hockey or boxing
• Using in-line skates or riding a skateboard
• Batting and running bases in baseball or softball
• Riding a horse
• Skiing or snowboard

Avoid falls in the home by:

• Using a step stool with a grab bar to reach objects on high shelves
• Installing handrails on stairways
• Installing window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows
• Using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around
• Avoid tripping hazards such as small area rugs, loose electrical cords and foreign objects on the floor
• Install non slip mats in the bathtub and shower floors
• Put grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower
• Make sure that the surface on your child’s playground is made of shock absorbing material such as mulch or sand
• Keep firearms stored unloaded in a locked cabinet or safe.  Store bullets in a separate location.

Avoid drowning accidents by:

• Never leave a child alone, even for a second near a swimming pool
• Install sensors on doors leading from the house to the pool

Set the Right Example: Wear a Helmet

The New York brain injury attorneys at De Caro & Kaplen, LLP believe that it is important that we set the right example for our children and for our community.  It is not enough to advocate the use of helmets, we must use them ourselves when we engage in sporting activities and we must make these helmets available to children whose families cannot afford to purchase them.

Michael V. Kaplen, Esq. and Shana De Caro, Esq. have actively participated in brain injury prevention programs.  We encourage you to start your own brain injury prevention program.

Because of our committment to brain injury prevention and brain injury prevention, New York brain injury attorney Michael Kaplen serves as chair of the New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council and was the three term president of the Brain Injury Association of New York State and chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice.  New York brain injury attorney, Shana De Caro is an officer of the American Association for Justice Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group.

Our brain injury attorneys co-author the New York Law Journal outside counsel column on the legal aspects of traumatic brain injury; have co-authored the chapter on neurolaw for the Psychiatric Clinics of North America edition on traumatic brain injury and have lectured at the ground rounds of Mt. Sinai Medical Center on brain injury and medical malpractice in emergency medicine.

When a Brain Injury Occurs, Contact a Brain Injury Attorney

Michael Kaplen receives the 2011 Public Policy Award at the Brain Injury Association of New York State 2011 Awards Ceremony for his advocacy on behalf of victims of traumatic brain injury

When common sense steps are not taken, frequently preventable brain and head injury results.  Many times the failure to take the necessary steps can lead to a negligence suit against the unreasonable person or company who was responsible for the safety of others.

The New York-based brain injury law firm of De Caro & Kaplen, LLP concentrates its practice in representing victims of brain trauma. If you or a family member is a victim of brain damage caused by an automobile accident, truck, train or bus accident, unsafe premises, unsafe construction site or medical malpractice, we may be able to assist in obtaining the compensation you deserve.

Contact Us

If your loved one or yourself has been a victim of brain damage, you can contact us for a no obligation consultation. Telephone the brain injury lawyers at: De Caro & Kaplen, LLP toll free at  1 866 BRAIN LAW or email us at michael@brainlaw.com.